Red Moon
by Dante620
Summary: An old videodisc contains a long diary about Aria Lore, an Asari girl which family has been exterminated by a group of infamous Turians. She and a group of bounty hunters will fo after these guys. The events narrated take place between Mass Effect 1 and 2
1. Chapter 1 Prologue

_In this story i'll probably do lots of errors about races, planets and facts about Shepard or other characters, please don't be angry because Mass Effect universe is enormous and it's normal I can do some mistakes. _

_However sorry in anticipation for the errors and enjoy the story!_

CHAPTER 1 – PROLOGUE

"Shepard! My old friend! How are you?" said Theo.

Commander Shepard stepped into the poorly illuminated room with big steps, he was visiting an old friend: Theo Lorne, he met him during a mission before the Geth assault, he was only a soldier, Theo was his lieutenant. Shepard saved Theo's life during a mission on planet Circe on Athens system: enemy mercenaries launched a grenade into Theo's trench, which made his left leg jump away and blinded his right eye. Shepard took his official and transported him in field infirmary, where he was cured. Theo from that moment called Shepard "soldier" no more Now Theo has a bionic eye and a mechanic leg, but his sense of humor didn't die.

"Theo! I knew you were on Therum, but I didn't knew that you were still looking for me!"

Shepard embraced the friend and seated on the armchair of white skin in front of the table. The room wasn't very big, but it hadn't any wall, it was an enormous big windows on the galaxy, in front of them there was a moon, a very big moon. All the room was enlighten mostly by that incredible piece of rock.

"Do you want a drink "soldier"?" said the lieutenant.

"No thanks, I don't drink when I'm in presence of my major! Ah Ah Ah!" They both laughed.

Theo took a glass of liquor and drank a little bit.

"Pretty good office Theo, what do you do now?" asked Shepard.

"I don't do anything really, I have my invalidation pension, as my military medals, so I live as a retired old man, that every time that look an old photo he feels not as young as he was 30 years ago. Sometimes I try and break some new robots the company send to "help me", like they think I'm an old fool who can't go in the bathroom alone. Stupid Quarians...". Said Theo drinking the liquor and

coughing.

"You should be careful, Quarians don't take very well this kind of thing, I know." Said Shepard.

"Fortunately I'm not racist, as you may know. We fought with Turians and Salarians time ago. I think they are better than humans sometimes.".

"Everything is better than human race my dear friend. Why do we are one of the weakest races in the entire universe? Because Asari, Salarians, Drell and Turians are better than us, just think about Prothean race". Said commander Shepard.

Meanwhile a big ship passed in front of the glass darkening for an instant the room, the eyes of Shepard rested from the light of the moon to read an hateful publicity of a new energetic drink "Haste!! Few credits so much spirit!". The the light came back.

"You are right, as always. If only we were not Batarians' enemies we could be considered as a little water's drop in the ocean. Unfortunately this ocean is infinite and we can't save from being forgotten". Said sadly Theo.

"If you live a memorable life you can't be forgotten."Said Shepard.

He knew that he did a reference to his recent success: the Geth defeat. He didn't want to do it because he didn't want to embarrass his friend.

"Right, but also if you live an infamous life you are remembered".whispered Theo.

"What do you intend to say?" asked politely Shepard, handing himself in on the chair.

"Do you remember that group of bastards Turian that destroyed 8 Human colonies, one Asari colony and exterminated 32 Quarians for stealing Zero Element?? If the memory doesn't deceive me they were called "Nightfall Angels"."

Shepard stood up and with a surprised mood said "I didn't know they destroyed an Asari colony, I didn't even know that there were Asari colonies on Artemis Tau".

"Yes, there was only one of these colonies, it was kept secret by the Alliance because there were enormous Zero Element mines on Alsages. Some Asari aliens were "paid" for collecting the mineral and for sending it to the Citadel. "Nightfall Angels" discovered it and decided to go on that planet to steal Zero Element and take no prisoners." Theo's words became thinner.

Shepard was without words and asked "Are there documents that prove this infamy?".

Theo shook his head, the answer was no. "There is only a long video disc."

"But it is not very useful, it contains a diary by an Asari woman that escaped the attack, but it's more like a diary than a proof. At the end she says: "I'm not going to return back, I'll go until after all", then the disc stops, it's probably damaged. I tried to repair it but it didn't work.".

Shepard appeared very interested, after all, his job was resolve problems and save galaxies, so walked at Theo and asked him "Can I have it? Maybe I know someone that could repair it".

Theo shook his head, the answer was yes. He went toward a white piece of furniture and it opened a drawer, it threw out a Shuriken gun and a pair of grenades that covered the small video disc.

"Here it is, take it".

Shepard greeted the old friend.

After a few hours Shepard left Theo and went on the Normandy where he closed himself into his cabin. He put the videodisc on the reader and began to watch it.

"My name is Aria Lore, and this is my story".


	2. Chapter 2 Death From Above

CHAPTER 2 – DEATH FROM ABOVE

Shepard inserted the videodisc in the reader and an Asari face appeared, she appeared like every Asari but she had a strange face tattoo, like some white wings starting from her cheeks. She had also an artificial eye, he understood it because it was brighter than the other and the pupil had a different shape. With a sweet, but frightened voice said:

"My name is Aria Lore, and this is a videodisc about my last days of life. It contains several videologs. If you are looking at my face, right now I'm probably dead, but before I leave I want to let you know about me and my anger.

I'm Aria Lore, and this is my story".

_Videolog n.1 code vx-558, 15-08-2184._

Alsages, an apparently insipid planet, mostly composed of water ice and calcium, very cold, no living forms, no moon; no one would have ever imagined that there would have been an enormous Zero Element mine. I lived here since I was 10 years old, now I'm 30. I've always worked hard with my family: my mother Wyala, my sister Q'Ny and the littlest of the family, a twelve months baby named Loran. We were controlled by groups of humans and Salarians, the watched over us for dangers, but mostly for controlling our work. They didn't treat us badly, but they didn't want to talk (maybe they were paid like us... very few). Our life consisted only in one thing: dig, dig, dig. We were paid by the Citadel to extract Zero Element from the ground, probes were too much expensive for a so small planet and they were not so accurate in extracting. They used to send us food and drink, but our life wasn't exactly very simple, because, you know... not all humans, Asari or Salarians are good. Fortunately I was trained as biotic since I was just a baby. But we couldn't leave the planet because we were under contract. Our home-planet was destroyed by Geth, then Citadel offered us the possibility to have a new home, a work, and security, with only one condition: to never leave Alsages.

We lived in little houses, not very repaired by the cold climate, fortunately the technology on the spatial suits made possible that however we had light clothes we didn't feel the cold. While me or my sister were in the mine our mom took care of little Loran. She was the strongest person I've ever known, she could take care of the baby and meanwhile work underground as us, she was also very fond and kind. I loved her. My sister was like a hurricane, she never wanted to work and for this she has been punished a lot of times. Loran was just the cutest baby I've ever seen.

Very sad that he would never have learned how much our old planet was beautiful.

One day I was trying to dig a very big piece of Zero Element when I saw something I've never seen as far I was on that planet: shadows. Bended on the ground, the earth under my feet, suddenly, became dark. It was a big spaceship.

Many of us thought they were people coming to free us, others thought it was just a mirage, some said that they were gods from other planets. Nobody was right, they were just Turians.

"What's happening mom?"

"Aria... please go into the house, quickly".

While I was walking to the house, something fell from the spaceship, a big thing, shaped like an egg but with some leds flashing; after few seconds a horrible noise, like a hiss came from the "alien egg", it made me fall. All the Asari, Salarians and Humans fell on the ground twisting themselves because of the hiss. My head hurt, then the pain increased, I wanted to die;

"Please stop this torture!! Kill me! Destroy my head!!"

Then... BOOM. The egg exploded.

I don't really remember how that happened, but I clearly remember the scene after: nobody was entirely intact. Somebody didn't have a leg, an arm, a head, blood everywhere, also on my face, but it was mine. I lost an arm and part of my face was burnt. In that moment there was only one thing I wanted to do: crying.

With the eyes full of tears I saw a little shuttle coming down from the big ship. Six Turians went out the shuttle.

"Phase one completed officer Zav".

"Very good kill the survivors"

Screams, screams, screams, just pain screams, then silence, they have been killed.

I tried to act like I was dead, then the big Turian, the one with only one eye and a bionic leg said:

"Work finished, collect the Zero Element. We will return in six months".

Pirates? Terrorists? I didn't know, I just wanted to die... and I thought my prayers have been listened by some god of the universe. My brain subdued to the pain and I slept.

I didn't want to wake up.

_End of videolog n.1 code vx-558, 15-08-2184._


	3. Chapter 3 Intros and Misunderstandings

CHAPTER 3 – INTRODUCTIONS AND MISUNDERSTANDINGS

_Videolog n.2 code vx-560, 15-08-2184_

"Hello? Hello?... She is still sleeping"

I was not asleep, I could hear her voice, but I couldn't move a single muscle of my body. Unfortunately my nerves were aware of the situation. I was alive.

I felt really cold, like I've never felt it, maybe I was in a fridge, maybe I have been frozen by Alsages atmosphere. No. I was just naked. A female voice continued saying things, I didn't understand what she was saying. Then a little pinch, and the silence... again.

_What's happening? Am I in hell? Have my prayers been listened?_

Hell for someone is a paradise compared to his life, suffering is just suffering, and the way it is inflicted is really important. My suffering won't stop now, I thought, I will suffer hell plagues for my family, my people and also, for my body.

I opened my eyes and closed immediately, a strong bright light stroke on my face, then the cold sensation of being naked. My eyes got used to the light in few less than fifteen seconds, then my head started hurting. Like resurrected I woke up from that coma state and understood where I was: on a spaceship.

_Where am I? Is this hell? What happened to my arm?_

My beautiful right arm was not made of flesh anymore, it was bionic. A tear fell from my eye, the only natural eye. Yes, my face was half bionic. I cried without screaming, it's so hard to do, but I didn't want to attract the attention on me, even if I was in a small closed room that looked like an infirmary, alone, and sad. I never cried like that moment, my eye hurt for it, the saddest and unluckiest Asari in the whole galaxy, just wondering in a slow death, or a revenge. A revenge for my family, for me, for my people, the saddest Asari became the angriest one.

I realized that maybe I was in the enemy den, so with extreme fatigue I got up and grabbed a little scalpel, I was ready to kill, in the bloodiest way possible.

_No one in sight, I must be quick but silent, a shadow._

My feet hardly held up me in that long white corridor, I continued walking then two men went out a room, I hided in a little black spot.

"How the Asari feel?"

"She is still sleeping, it have been seven days before the attack, I'll go later to her, now I'm hungry"

_Green light, let's go to the shuttles_

My head was just too clouded to understand what I was doing, but I could identify clearly a sound: the alarm.

"Warning, Warning, security breach, Warning Warning, security breach"

_Please stop it!! My head explode!_

I didn't care of it so I continued walking to the shuttles, when someone saw me.

"Hey you!! Stop it!!"

Like a miracle I ran. My feet made an enormous work making me running, and it was just fifteen minutes that I was awake. My pursuer followed me.

"Axxos we have a problem!"

I managed to hide in a little room, so my pursuer lost me. I ran, like I've never done only to be seen by a woman and a man

"Stop the Asari!!"

Only one corner separated me from the shuttles but behind that corner there was not my salvation, but there was him... Axxos.

A big Turian stopped me and pointed his gun at me, so I approached the scalpel to his throat. He was like other Turians I've seen on Alsages, but his face wasn't so terrorizing, rather it was a bit gentle.

"Hello lady, I see that you are now awake and ready to kill"

"Who the hell are you?"

I approached the scalpel more to his throat, I was a centimeter to his neck.

"My name is Axxos, and I welcome you to my ship: The "Dead Walker". Now please throw back that knife, I'll not hesitate to shot you if you hurt me"

"Why did you kill my family you motherfucker?!"

"Axxos are you all right?" Said the two pursuers behind me

My words were like vomit and I was sick, very sick.

"Everything all right. I know you are furious and you want some answers but I don't think you understood were you are, we saved you from that bastard Turians that killed your family and your people"

"Bullshit!! I saw a spaceship and a bomb coming out from it, how can you not be them?"

"Every Citadel mission has a particular security system that become operative when planet workers population cove of 60%, so Citadel asked us to watch over in order to have maximum security and secret of the operation. We are just bounty hunters."

"I don't believe in you!! Why should I!?"

"Because maybe you wanna live, Make things without sense is very dangerous, even for a half Asari, half mechanical robot like you even with your biotic training I will never let you go out here alive, we will escort you to the Citadel where you'll be lodged with the Presidium money."

His words were harsh, but sincere.

"Now... Asari, You must chose: you can die stupidly or being cured by our doctor Amanda who will put a skin over your mechanical parts and have a normal life at the Citadel, choose."

Some seconds of hesitations, then I gave the scalpel to Axxos. I was calm in that moment, but not peaceful.

"Good choice. Amanda please take her to the infirmary where she can rest a bit".

"Yes Axxos, come with me dear"

I walked with that human, not so old but no young anymore, she must have had like 45 years, very kind and friendly. She had short black hair and big blue eyes, his face made me calm and quiet, but inside I was just burning.

We entered the room and helped me to lay down on a little bed.

"How much I've been sleeping?"

"Fifteen days, but don't worry, everything will be OK. I'm going to the canteen, I imagine you'll be hungry, I'll be back in a second".

She left me alone, again, and I started crying, again.

_End of part 1 - Videolog n.2 code vx-560, 15-08-2184_


	4. Chapter 4 I Understand My Luck

CHAPTER 4 – I FINALLY UNDERSTAND MY LUCK

_Videolog n.2 code vx-560, 15-08-2184 Part 2_

I just passed the following three days in the infirmary, crying and sleeping. Even in the dream

world I was well. My nightmares were all about that horrible moment on Alsages, my family dying, blood everywhere, those Turians... I haven't passed a single night without waking up screaming

"KILL ME!!!"

This worried Amanda, who tried to calm me with anesthetics and lovely words about the injustice of live and other bullshit I didn't listened. My only thought was revenge, but I couldn't do it by myself.

Amanda fed me twice a day and told me about her family and his group. They were bounty hunters but in order to round off cashes they accepted missions also from the Presidium, corporations of privates. This didn't make them mercenaries because Axxos, the "boss", didn't have to accept every mission and also because he hates the appellative "mercenaries". Amanda was born, grown up and graduated directly at the Citadel, for sometimes she was just a simple doctor in the Citadel, then she decided to be a home doctor, for every planet, his group was called "Guardians" and she had a group of collaborators in every space system and and medic in every planet. Then after an error made by one of her medics, she was obliged to end her dream. She became a camp medic and there she knew Axxos, who offered her a work on his "Dead Walker".

Her kind moods and her innocence of whom has always wanted to help people gave me a feeling of deep trust in this person that took care of me.

"OK my dear, we have finished, look at you in the mirror"

After four days she finished to cover my new mechanical parts with blue synthetic skin. I looked in the mirror and a little shiver crossed my back, I was just perfect. My face was like I left it on Alsages, my tattoo on my cheeks where there, the only noticeable thing was the fake eye, bigger that the other one and differently colored. My arm was just like the old one.

"Do you think I've done a good job?"

I never talked after my first encounter with Axxos, but my soul wanted to let Amanda know that she did an excellent job, so, even if my mouth refused to open at first, I said:

"Yes"

This word was just a bit louder than a whisper.

"Very good! Now you talk! Excellent my dear! Now can I know what's your name?"

"Aria... Lore" another whisper, just more trembling.

"Pleased to meet you Aria, my name is Amanda Reek" she did for shaking me the hand

Her maternal tone was so lovely that I didn't hand my hand. I embraced her.

"Thank you..." another tear, another cry.

Amanda didn't know what to do, so she just embraced me and said:

"It has been a pleasure my dear, soon you will be well".

Then she left my body and asked me if I wanted to walk on the ship and meet the rest of the crew, dressed with a white uniform and little moccasins on feet.

Amanda took me to the white, long corridor which was the main part of the small "Dead Walker". The spaceship was composed by the corridor, where were located the command center, the infirmary, a recreation room with the canteen (automatized, food tasted like Varren's shit), toilets and commander's office. Descending a ladder there were only the warehouse and crew's lodgings. The ship was small, but very fast in navigate through space. Seventeen days left before arriving at the Citadel.

In the recreation room I found a human whose name was Conrad, he was a soldier, expert in fighting and surviving, even if you didn't know it, you wouldn't have ever thought that he was a soldier, his face was gentle, his body not so big and he always prayed. His kind, melancholic moods made me think that he was a pilot, an engineer, or a poet, but no, he was a soldier, and Amanda said that he was quite damn good in killing.

"Conrad, she is Aria, the Asari we carried from Alasages"

"May the spirit of life be with you forever Aria"

With big surprise he revealed his adoration for Asari pantheistic religion, very strange for a human, I immediately understood the incredible faith of that strange man.

"And with your spirit. Do you follow Siari cult?"

"I have been dedicating my life and my spirit to follow Siari cult since I had seen my wife spirit going down, in the earth, in the water, in the air... in everything."

His voice was very calm but the kind of calm you will expect talking with an assassin after a murder. I thought he had a painful secret.

"OK Conrad, now I'll take Aria to Yola, see you later."

Conrad didn't say anything.

Amanda brought me to the command center where there was the pilot Yola, a Quarian.

"Yola, she is Aria, the Asari from Alsages"

"Aria! Please to meet you. How are you?"

"I feel good thank you."

Very... very tall, she looked at me from the feet to the head, she was studying me, I felt uneasiness. His voice was strong, like a man one.

"I really like your body. You must have been trained very well on Alsages"

"Well... I just pickaxed, for Zero Element"

"Oh... I think I should do it, I am very thin!"

She laughed, I tried to hide my embarrassment, but I think she noticed it.

"Now we are leaving you Yola. See you later"

"Bye doc! Aria..."

Then we left the room, heading toward Axxos's office.

_End of part 2 _- _Videolog n.2 code vx-560, 15-08-2184_

_PLEASE GUYS... READ AND REVIEW..._


	5. Chapter 5 A Turian Without A Soul

CHAPTER 5 – A TURIAN WITHOUT A SOUL

_Videolog n.2 code vx-560, 15-08-2184 Part 3_

The door of Axxos office opened and suddenly I perceived a strange sense of freeze. It wasn't really cold, but... something I can't explain. The Turian was at the big window, looking at the giant moon that stood in front of the spaceship. It was so big and so beautiful...

"Thank you Amanda, now you can go."

"Good luck darling!" I didn't realized immediately what Amanda was talking about.

Then he turned and with a walk that seemed like one of a soldier he went near to the desk.

"I see that you are well now" Strong tone, really not friendly. Mine was very different, like a death row inmate to the gibbet

"Yes"

"Excellent, we'll arrive at the Citadel in 10 days, where you'll be left at Presidium custody" His hardness decreased, he didn't want me between his plans.

"Axxos... I just wanted to say you that I'm sorry of what has happened days ago"

"OK, I accept your excuses. I understand, you where under shock." Embitterment of the voice, he didn't like the conversation.

"Who were those Turians that killed my family?"

Walking he said: ""Nightfall Angels", is not the title of a shitty action movie or of a book, they are just assassins, robbers, rapists of planets and populations, they are dregs. Their commander is called Zev and they just go from colony to colony killing populations and stealing Zero Element, nobody knows why. But they are not our business".

My heart beat like a drum, but not for fear, just for anger. They killed my family, my friends and they almost killed also me; but Axxos seemed didn't care about that.

"You have to stop them, they will go on another planet and they will do the same thing they did on Alsages!!"

With eyes covered of anger and sense of omnipotence he walked at me:

"I'm not paid for this, I really don't care about your family of your friends, you are just money for me; do you know how much do the Presidium will pay me for this mission?"

"Don't you have a conscience?! You have a big ship, weapons and a crew, they are only stupid assassins! You can stop them!! Do you know how do I feel?"

He grabbed my neck, he could kill me if he would "No, and I don't care. You are a business, being a bounty hunter is not like being on the Normandy and save the galaxy! I'm not Shepard, and this is not my mission." He released me. I coughed for the lack of air.

"So you are just a bounty hunter? And why do you accept missions from the Presidium?"

"Just for money."

"OK... Alright... you will have your money." I was burning.

"You can bet on it. You will live a good life and I'll return to my work."

Then the siren sound... we where under attack!

_End of Videolog n.2 code vx-560, 15-08-2184_

**"_I know it passed much time since my last chapter, sorry_"**

**_"Nobody reviews my story... I want to know if you like it or not, so i will know if I can continue or just stop it... please review!!"_**


	6. Chapter 6 Attack

CHAPTER 6 – ATTACK

_Videolog n.2 code vx-560, 16-08-2184 Part 3_

"We are under attack!! Space pirates on the ship!!"

Everything blew off like a bomb, the "Dead Walker" was under siege.

Axxos, heard the noise, went out his office very quickly, probably he was ready to fight. He left me alone and weaponless, so I searched a bit in his office in order to find a gun, but nothing.

I ran out the room as fast as I could, some crew members passed me beside like they didn't see me, then Conrad appeared and grabbed my arm.

"Are you ready to kill?" Said to me showing a gun. He was not scared, I was scared.

"I... don't know" Trembling voice...

"Well, now you are ready." He gave me the gun, then he ran away...

I had never killed anybody, but I was ready for everything.

I followed him through the corridor of the "Dead Walker", the white color was so impregnate in my mind that didn't distinguished other colors. Then one of the pirates appeared in front of us.

He was a Batarian with a really bad face, a black armature with some paintings of little bones and a big rifle in his hands.

"Stay down!!"

The Batarian shot but fortunately I took refuge behind the corner. Conrad was behind me loading his gun. He shot from behind the corner without seeing, in order to frighten the pirate, but he repaired behind a little stone pot. So Conrad went out the repair and killed the Batarian with a precise, single, painful shot in the head.

"Let's go!"

I didn't know where we were going to go.

After some seconds we reunited with Amanda, Yola and other crew members I dind't know. Amanda looked very scared.

"We must leave the ship!"

Yola was of another opinion: "Fuck the pirates!! Let's find Axxos so we can kick some Batarians' ass!".

That was the last thing I wanted...

While we where talking, an explosion blew from the other corridor and a man was dashed by it, then three pirates appeared and began to shoot to us.

While Conrad covered us shooting, we ran through a little white corridor, that took to the emergency capsules and entered the round room where there were the capsules.

"The door is indestructible, we are safe, for now".

"And Conrad?!" Yola appeared really in apprehension.

I didn't know what was happening but a sense of guilt came from my bones and tortured me while Yola was trying to persuade us to go with Conrad. He was there... behind a wall trying to not be killed... we where here... safe and healthy...I wanted to reciprocate the favor they did to me.

"I'll go with him." I think I was really a stupid if I really thought that I could kill anybody.

"No Aria... They will kill you!" Amanda took my arms and tried to dissuade me.

"Let me go... I know how to shoot..." Then I ran through the door, leaving Amanda and Yola behind the indestructible glass.


End file.
